November 10, 2008

Ray and Heather Anderson presented their daughters, Sarah and Becca, in dedication to the Lord Jesus on Sunday, November 9, 2008, in the 10:15 AM service in The Center. Sarah and Becca were joined at the altar by their maternal and paternal grandparents. Children’s Pastor Carol Waller carried Sarah and I carried Becca on their blessing journey. The girls were not only calm but friendly. Sarah waved at people. We thank the Lord for the blessing he has given to the Andersons in Sarah and Becca and pray that their lives will be lived as blessings in return.

Pastor Ronnie Thompson concluded the second season of Flag Football at HCN with a Thursday night, under-the-lights game. There were 82 participants this season with 18 of the players coming from HCN. HCN team members were Jacob Brown, Joel Daugherty, Preston Davis, Matthew Helm, TJ Hysell, Luke Joselyn, Maxwell Mullins, Bryce Poole, Carter Poole, Grant Render, Madeleine Rouse, Bethany Ruff, and Jordan Sweeten. Cheerleaders were Sarah Helm, Erica Render, Maggie Stroupe, Sadie Stroupe, and Elizabeth Sweeten. Coaches included Ray Render, Jody Sweeten, Doug Praskatch, Greg Ruff, Richard Hysell, Sherri Render, Stacey Sweeten, and Bonnie Stroupe. Steve Kelley and Rob Mathias served as referees. Robert Sullivan provided, set-up, and picked up the lights for the Awards Night. We congratulate every player, coach, referee, and volunteer for a successful season, for skills learned, for friendships formed.

Five HCN students are members of the Mt. Juliet Men and Women’s Swim Team: Lauren Lavery, Anna-Laura Green, Cassie Hunt, Alexandra Odom, and Taylor Wallace. Based on their meets throughout the year, Lauren has qualified for regionals and Taylor has qualified for state finals. Congratulations to these athletes.

In the last two years, the Church of the Nazarene has adopted the following mission statement: “to make Christlike disciples of the nations;” and defined the following core values: Christian, Holy, and Missional. Not that it matters, but I approve and applaud both. Missional is a twenty-first century word not yet included in most dictionaries. It speaks to attitude and lifestyle. It is so much more than dropping money into a plate. I think it means seeing the world with the eyes and heart of Jesus. This Sunday, November 16, 2008, you will have the opportunity to consider what it means for you to live missional. Jon and Kathy Mowry, veteran missionaries to Russia and members of our congregation, will help us. They have stories to tell from life experience. We need to listen and ask God how we can respond. Spencer and April Baggott are members of HCN and missionaries on a fresh assignment to Rwanda. We hope to speak to them by Skype. Pray that God’s will be done in both worship services and that at the end, our sight and heart condition will be more like Jesus.

Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner arrives one week early this year. We eat together this Sunday, November 16, 2008, at 5:00 PM in The Center. At this writing, we still need cooks to purchase and prepare two more hams and two more turkeys. Call the church office at 847-3335 to volunteer. The rest of us need to bring dishes of one vegetable, one salad, one dessert, and one large drink. Appetites are big for Thanksgiving so bring plenty. The evening includes no entertainment, just great food and fellowship. We like to eat and we like to be together.

The Church Board appointed a Task Force in October to meet and propose an operating budget for the church for the 2009 calendar year. That Task Force met on Monday, November 3, 2008, at 7:00 PM and was composed of Phil Jordan, Brad Houser, David Hunt, Jerry Keener, Scott Steinmetz, and me. Copies of the proposal were mailed to every board member on Tuesday morning. The whole board met yesterday afternoon in the regular monthly board meeting and unanimously approved the budget. I wanted you to know that the budget includes a freeze on all salaries of pastoral staff and support staff and a continued freeze on any spending beyond salaries, mortgages, utilities, and missions. I personally recommended the freeze on salaries. It in no way reflects appreciation for the service given by staff. It represents an almost 4% reduction in total spending and the financial realities of our nation and our world. Please know as you continue to responsibly give to the church, that those who make decisions about finances will responsibly control how the monies are spent. Kendell Poole expressed his appreciation at the end of the board meeting for the excellence of the Finance Council and the confidence he has in each person for this serious time. I agree.

Congratulations to Dr. Larry Leonard, currently pastor of Highland Park Church of the Nazarene in Lakeland, Florida, on his appointment by General Superintendent Nina Gunter to serve as the Superintendent of the Tennessee District effective January 1, 2009. Dr. Leonard replaces Dr. Bob Broadbooks, recently elected by the General Board to serve as the USA/Canada Mission Director.

I am thankful to God for His presence and guidance in our worship services on Sunday. A young mother who regularly attends second service woke up on Sunday morning realizing she had volunteer responsibilities during that service. She knew she really needed to be a part of worship. So, reluctantly, she decided to come to first service. By the end of the service, she wound up standing in the front center row for communion filled with the knowledge that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She told me that story today and I thought you would want to know.

I look forward to Sunday.

In Christ Jesus,

Pastor Howard